The Ring That Binds
by softwinds
Summary: Hinata realized that even after she and Naruto got married, he still had feelings for his old teammate. What will she do when he called out Sakura's name in his sleep... again? Just a short Naru/Hina story...
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto…

**THE RING THAT BINDS**

She couldn't hear the birds chirping outside, couldn't even feel the morning breeze blowing through the window. The bright light of daybreak filtering into the kitchen was neglected just the same…

Everything felt insignificant this morning. Even the cup of tea in her hand had long turned cold and all she could do was sit, like a mannequin at a display window – unmoving.

Hinata stayed that way for a long time. The only thing that was evidence of her being real was when she intermittently rubbed the ring on her finger. Yet, even though she was almost frozen at her stance, her mind was reeling with thoughts, painful and heartrending.

Naruto had called the name again last night in his sleep – 'Sakura.' It was his third slip in the last six months. The first time, they had hardly been married two weeks when her husband had mumbled the name. She had laughed it off then, conjuring up her own idea of him having a fight with Sakura in his dream. She was stunned to hear it a second time, one month later, but had quietly brushed if off too. It was easy to mishear things sometimes… even though that little _slip_ did leave a mark on her memory.

However, last night, it had been too clear. He had already fallen asleep when she had walked into the bedroom. Quietly, she had climbed into bed when she heard him call the name. There was no mistaking it. She wasn't just stunned this time - her entire body stiffened at the name and suddenly, she could feel a painful kind of tightness in her chest. Soon afterwards, everything started to fall apart. The walls that had held all the happiness she had shared with Naruto came crumbling down; she could almost feel the bricks falling on her - painful and heartbreaking.

When the shock finally settled, she started to cry. She had cried the whole night, sobbing quietly into her pillow. Naruto had never really loved her, that fact was never that pronounced until now. Yet she had to admit that ever since their academy days, she had known that he only had eyes for Sakura. She was aware that when his pink-haired teammate married his best friend, all Naruto could do was give them his blessings even though it had hurt him badly. Nevertheless, Hinata had also known that his geniality was just a facade. Reality was actually killing him.

She had stayed close throughout his whole ordeal. It had hurt her seeing him in so much pain and it had hurt her even more when he had to fake his smiles on too many occasions… _those bright blue eyes had lost their gleam._ Not long after, he had thrown himself into work, accepting the title and responsibility of Hokage without much joy or fuss. Life had become meaningless for him. He was like a body without a soul. She could only pray that he was going to survive.

They never discussed the very cause of his misery. Somehow, as months passed, things started to look more positive. On some instances, she could almost see the sparkle in his eyes. And then, it happened… They were having dinner at Ichiraku, when he had sheepishly drawn out a small velvet box from his pocket. She could still remember how awkward he had looked. He had pushed the box towards her while his other hand automatically went to the back of his head, rubbing and scratching in a way that was so typical of him when he was out of his comfort zone. And then he had raised the question that she could only dream he would ask – _'Will you marry me?'_

Ayame had criticized him on the spot. The lady of the ramen shop had thought that his manner of proposal was too simple. He should have been more enthusiastic about the whole affair. She had argued that Naruto should have brought Hinata to an expensive restaurant and proposed after a romantic candle-light dinner. He should have bought flowers for the occasion, red roses to be exact and he should have knelt on one knee while proposing.

_Hinata didn't care…_ all she knew was she had always wanted to be with Naruto. She had loved him for too long. So, with as much strength as she could summon not to faint from pure happiness, she had said yes. Two months later, they had gotten married in an elaborate wedding ceremony and reception. They had both wanted it to be simple but it couldn't be helped. He was the Hokage and she was still, the eldest daughter of Hyuga Hiashi. It would have been unreasonable to deny the Hyuga clan a highly structured service.

But now, as she sat at the kitchen table, Hinata realized that saying yes was probably the biggest mistake of her life. When had she let her own sense of happiness cloud her eyes? How could she have forgotten all of Naruto's past feelings towards Sakura? Why was she willing to start a life with him even though a small part of her had always known that he will never truly love her? Didn't she already know that she would never be able to win his heart?

The questions whirled incessantly in her mind. Somehow, she realized that she was partly at fault. She should have stayed away when he was in his weakest. She should have let him mourn his loss and then allow him to stand up again like he always did. She should have left him as he was and not cared so much. _And she should never have been his means of escape._

Finally heaving a sigh, she took a sip of her tea before quickly putting the cup down… tea was better drunk while it was warm. Then, she stood up and walked towards the bedroom. She wanted to know how Naruto really felt, needed to know his feelings right then.

Her husband was in the bathroom when she walked in, the door left ajar. Without much hesitation, Hinata took off all of her clothes and walked towards the bathroom. Naruto was in his shorts, brushing his teeth when he saw his wife, naked. It took him some seconds to process the scenario before he quickly rinsed his mouth and washed his face.

"Hey," he said as he quickly grabbed her in a hug, water from his face dripping into her hair as he snuggled into it.

"Morning," she carelessly tempted.

But that was all she needed to say before he started trailing hungry kisses along her neck. He was kissing her with passion – a kind of fervor she could always appreciate. But then this time, she wouldn't allow his enthusiasm and her eagerness to cloud her mind. Unknowingly to him, she was assessing his every move – every kiss, every caress, every stroke. She wanted to know if he had been faking them all these time. She sought to find out if he really loved her or was it just a natural desire between men and women, was it just convenience? She needed to know if he had been imagining her to be Sakura every time they made love.

Things went on like they always did and somehow, they stumbled into the room and onto their bed.

"I love you," she said, as he hovered over her not too many minutes later. She had meant it, every word that she said.

"Love you, too," he mumbled as he entered her.

Those words would have easily pleased her on other occasions… _Not today_. Somehow, she was starting to doubt his words…

Half an hour past before they finally ambled into the kitchen for breakfast. She was back in her clothes while he casually pulled a short-sleeved red coat over his black, long-sleeved, high-collared shirt. The coat bore black flame-like motifs on its hem. Hinata never failed to think how poised and cool Naruto always looked in it - Naruto, her husband, the Hokage.

"I've cooked some soup," she said as she walked towards the stove. "Let's have ramen,"

"Great! I want three bowls," he cheered as he searched for milk in the refrigerator. "We've run out of milk?"

"There's tea on the table." She pointed.

He shrugged before reaching for a cup and pouring himself some tea. Then, he pulled out his chair and took a seat.

"Anything interesting today, Hokage-sama?" Hinata started offhandedly, many seconds later as she placed a bowl of piping hot ramen in front of Naruto.

"Well, Kazuhiro-sama needs our help to start a ninja academy in his village… he's from the Land of Oil," Naruto said as he reached for a pair of chopsticks and started stirring his ramen. Then, he put a big mouthful of it into his mouth and started slurping like a hungry child.

"Oil?"

"Yup... It's a long-term mission…" he slurped again. "…at least three years."

"That long?"

"Yeah, actually they have already put up a building for the purpose," he continued, after another swallow. "But if you take into consideration the whole administrative setup…, the education requirements…, the… the military necessity and… and everything else," he took another slurp. "It would take at least three or at the earliest, two years to accomplish that."

"So… who's been assigned?" Hinata asked with a subtle hint of curiosity as she placed two more bowls of ramen onto the table.

"I thought Iruka would be the best person for this but… I hate to see him leave," Naruto said as he lifted his bowl and gulped down his noodle. "It's going to be a long time."

Hinata kept quiet as she watched her husband reached for his second bowl of ramen. She had always loved watching him eat. In some way, Naruto's love for ramen and the way he always ate his noodle with gusto, had never changed all these years. _Other than the time when he was grieving over his loss of Sakura._

"You're not having any?" he asked as she took a seat beside him.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

Sitting beside him, she quietly studied her husband's outward appearance as he happily ate his ramen. She was actually taking time to pay more attention to him today. For a long time now, she had forgotten that Naruto had whisker marks on his face. She realized that she had taken that for granted. How could she have forgotten Kurama's great influence on him? Her husband did and still held a most powerful beast within.

Other than that, Naruto's blonde hair had grown a little longer than how it used to be when they were younger. That was fine. He actually looked better that way, more like the Hokage title he held rather than the young immature boy he could sometimes be. On top of that, many people who had worked with his father before had always compared him to Minato in terms of physical appearance. They said he was a replica of his old man. Hinata has no doubt that Minato had been a handsome man.

Silently, she wondered if she had ever told Naruto that he has the most beautiful eyes in the whole of Konoha. Those bright blue eyes have often mesmerized her. So dark and deep in color compared to her pale, white eyes. She also wondered if he knew how often she had paid attention to those eyes and questioned if he knew that when he was sad, there was no glimmer in them. Yet, now that she observed, she realized that it had been a long while since she had seen those eyes sparkle with joy - to really sparkle like it could brighten the day with its gleam. She remembered how happy he had been when he had returned after defeating Pain and the whole village was there to welcome him like a hero. The gleam in his eyes had been captivating. She could still recall how his eyes had shone when they won the last war and Sasuke had finally agreed to return to Konoha with him. She could also call to mind how proud he had been when Tsunade had proclaimed that Sakura was the most fitting person to take over all her medical practices and that she was as strong and capable as she was. His eyes had shone the brightest then…

"What's wrong?' he asked when he noticed dark shadows beneath her eyes, unaware of how she had been looking at him. "Didn't sleep well?"

She forced a smile as her hand involuntarily started twisting the ring on her finger. "I couldn't sleep… Do you know you talk in your sleep?" she finally asked as he finished all three bowls of his ramen.

"I kept you up?" he asked, amused.

She smiled again.

"So what did I say?" he urged as he stood up, put all the three bowls into the sink and then turned and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Come on, what did I say? Was I conjuring up some forbidden jutsu or was I swearing aloud or what?"

"What did you dream of last night?" she consciously raised the question as she stood up and put her hands around his neck.

He chuckled as he grabbed her waist. "I don't know… can't remember a thing. So what did I say?"

She looked right into the pair of blue eyes, wondering when she'll get to see those glimmer again and pondering on her answer before leaning closer, "You were calling Sakura's name..."

**A/N: …reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto…

The veins around her eyes and temples slowly disappeared while her distinct pupils receded. After deactivating her Byakugan, Hinata lifted a hand and knocked.

"Come in," Naruto answered.

Silently, she opened the door and walked into the Hokage's office, immediately giving a respectful bow to the general people in the room.

"Hinata?" the blonde-haired Hokage called, surprised to see his wife in his office at this time of the day.

"Hokage-sama…" she formally addressed before turning to the few guests from the Land of Oil. "Good morning...," she said as she walked forward. "My name is Hinata and… you must be Kazuhiro-sama," she uttered, before giving another bow toward a short, portly man who was probably in his fifties. He was also the only guest sitting down.

"Yes, yes I am," the man said, smiling portentously as he stood up. He was with four other younger men from a village called Oiru.

"I am Kazuo," one of the men said as he immediately walked forward to take Hinata's hand.

Other than the fact that this younger man was thin and much taller, Hinata noticed that he had a close resemblance to the older man which came in the form of their very pale skin and curly, brown hair. There was little need to prove that the two were father and son. "What an honour to meet such a beautiful girl…" he added before Hinata quickly pulled her hand away, "…and I thought I've seen them all."

"Erm…," Naruto started, a little irritated at how Kazuo had taken his wife's hand earlier. "Hinata, what are you…"

"I want to take on the mission to Oiru," she quickly enlightened. She had been standing outside the Hokage's office for a good ten minutes, perusing the situation within before making her move at the precise moment.

"You…" the Hokage spluttered as he quickly stood up.

"A woman?" the leader of the group questioned.

At that, Naruto looked incredulously between the guest from Oil and his wife. He was shocked and dismayed at the same time, not knowing exactly how to react. On one hand, Hinata had made an almost capricious offer, _even though he could somehow guess what had prompted her to do so_. On the other, Kazuhiro-sama's words sounded like an insult to the kunoichi of his village and especially to his wife. Even though she was a woman, Hinata was nothing short of capable.

The Hokage's wife simply smiled before continuing, "I might be a woman but that doesn't mean I'm incompetent toward this mission. And if I may add, I'm a Hyuga… and in general, the Hyuga clan…"

"…Is one of the oldest and most respectable clan in the Leaf!" Kazuo intercepted with zest. "And they're also well-known for their superior skills and exceptional abilities… especially since they possess the highly coveted white eyes… and that explains these extraordinarily beautiful eyes," he said while leaning in for a closer look.

At that, Yamato made a soft coughing sound. "You do know that this is a long-term mission, don't you, Hinata-sam…?" the assistant with the happuri-style forehead protector casually asked.

"I do know the details to this mission, Yamato-san," Hinata interrupted as she flashed a smile toward her husband's subordinate.

"Ah… two to three years passes very quickly," Kazuo offered.

"Hinata…" Naruto finally croaked out, his voice close to pleading.

"Hokage-sama…" she tried to reason. She couldn't look into those bright blue eyes for fear they would make her change her mind. "You should know that this is a great opportunity for me. I do have much to offer... and much more to learn… so, if you would consent, I really hope you'd let me go."

"Well, if she is of such competency, I wouldn't mind taking her in," Kazuhiro-sama happily stated. By some means, he was also aware that the Hyuga were very systematic people, with a strict organizational structure. It would be advantageous to actually have one to help him with the setting up of a ninja academy in their village.

"But she…" the Hokage snapped out.

"Thank you for accepting me, Kazuhiro-sama," Hinata skillfully disrupted her husband's sentence, giving Naruto no room to counter her offer. "I would be happy to assist in every possible way."

"Oh, this is just great!" Kazuo exclaimed. "We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

There was a nod of agreement as the party celebrated the choice of candidate for the mission. Naruto however, fell helplessly back onto his chair. He was trapped. Away from the public eyes, he would have argued and pleaded with his wife. But now, in front of his guests and as the Hokage to his village, he could only keep quiet, soon realizing that Hinata had probably planned the whole situation. Planned how he would have looked imprudent and foolish should he refuse her proposal. Planned how he would have no choice but to accept her offer.

Standing beside the Hokage, Yamato could only narrow his eyes as he questioned the whole affair. Something must have happened between Naruto and his wife to have prompted her to want to depart for such a long time…

%%%

The door bell started ringing incessantly just as she was putting some cartons of milk into the refrigerator. Quickly shoving all the milk in, Hinata hurried to the door. Somehow, she had a clear idea who the visitor would be and without a doubt, as she opened the door, Kiba was standing right outside, hand still jabbing at the doorbell while Akamaru gave a loud bark. Behind them, Shino was standing a few paces away with his hands in his coat pockets, as usual.

The Inuzuka, with distinctive red fang markings on his cheeks didn't bother with courtesy. "You're leaving?" he immediately asked. "Why?"

Hinata looked from Kiba to Shino. She had already guessed they would show up in her place. Nevertheless, she also knew that whatever explanation she would provide would be insufficient… at least not to Inuzuka Kiba. One way or another, she had always appreciated how much he had continuously cared for her - he was constantly protecting her, encouraging her and lending her an ear whenever she wanted someone to talk to.

But then, there was one aspect that she had never gotten to know – Kiba had been in love with her for a long time. He never told her that because all three of them had always known that Hinata would only love Naruto. Even though Shino knew about his teammate's feeling, he too wouldn't bring it up. It was useless. Hinata's feelings towards Naruto had been consistent ever since they were young. It would have been foolish to even encourage the Inuzuka in any way.

"Why?" Kiba asked again, his expression almost pitiful to witness.

"Kiba…" Hinata started as she reached out to give Akamaru a pat on its head. "I just want to go."

"I don't understand, Hinata. Why would you want to leave for three long years?"

"It's a good opportunity."

"And what kind of opportunities do you really want? S-class? A-class? What? There're plenty of opportunities here, Hinata. I'm sure _your husband_ can come up with some. I just don't understand why… Why choose to go that far and…"

"Kiba…," Shino pacified. "Let her talk."

"Okay, I'm listening. Just tell me why."

"Like I said, this is a chance for me to…" Hinata continued.

"No! Don't try this again…"

"Kiba…" Shino interrupted for a second time. Even though the Aburame knew how disturbed his teammate was, he could understand that Kiba was being too forceful. Frustrated, the Inuzuka ran both his hands through his hair and gave a low growl.

The Hokage's wife involuntarily placed a hand on his cheek. "Please don't be angry with me."

That little action was all she needed to calm the aggravated Inuzuka. _If only she knew how much he loved her. If only she knew that even though she was married, he was satisfied just to be able to occasionally see her._ Kiba gave a submissive sigh and dropped his head.

"Are you really sure you want to go?" Shino continued this time.

Hinata nodded.

"Is there something you want to tell us?" he prodded further. "Or something you need us to help you with?"

She started to shake her head slowly before quickly saying, "I'd like you guys to help me take care of Naruto when I'm gone."

"Like how?" Kiba scoffed. "Babysit him?"

"Kiba, please," Hinata pleaded.

"That's not a problem," Shino offered. "The Hokage only needs to ask."

She smiled, "Thank you."

"You really want to go?" Kiba raised the question again, this time in a resigned, almost static tone.

She nodded, "I want to do something different. This is my chance to prove what I'm capable of. To set up something from scratch. To achieve something new."

"But…" the Inuzuka tried to counter.

"I know three years is a long time but, think about it, Kiba. Once the whole thing starts running on its own, I'd be the co-founder of the academy… Sounds great, doesn't it?"

Kiba shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "Such names don't give me any pleasure."

Once again, Hinata turned towards Shino. Behind his glasses, her quiet teammate didn't even blink as he furtively deliberated her reasoning. It was true that she had always struggled to achieve a kind of recognition ever since young. He had understood that growing up as a Hyuga had been very demanding for Hinata and being the eldest daughter of Hyuga Hiashi had only served to make things worse. For years, she had fought really hard to prove her competence. Yet the Hyuga had never given her a satisfactory nod for her achievements… except when she married Naruto, the Hokage. That 'achievement' sure helped lightened all the expectations they had for her.

Nevertheless, as he slowly digest her explanations and taking into consideration all the anguish she had endured and overcome, Shino could only suspect that Hinata was actually putting on a pretense. She was never one to seek fame and recognition in such a way. And if he may add, she was usually the one standing behind, comfortable in being the shadow rather than in the limelight. Furthermore, there was really no such need for her to want to excel now…. or to want to leave for so long.

As Shino studied further, he also noticed that from the time they showed up, Hinata had been intermittently twisting the ring on her finger. By some means, he was sure she was hiding something from them…

%%%

Naruto sat motionless in his office, playing and replaying the morning's event in his mind. Too many things had happened earlier. He thought that everything had started out really well in the morning until Hinata chose to _enlighten_ him about his unconscious mis-step. How could he have called out Sakura's name in his sleep? Feeling a little shameful with that little detail, he ruffled his hair and gave a defeated sigh. Had he forced Hinata to leave? Was that really why she had decided to go?

It wasn't his first time, she had told him. Undeniably, Naruto could only feel disappointed with himself. Had he really been that obvious? Somehow, he thought that he had gotten over the whole episode of losing Sakura. True, he was devastated when she married Sasuke. In fact, he had never felt as heartbroken as he had felt when they had told him they were getting married. But then, he thought that marrying Hinata would change everything. She was what he needed and for six months, he actually thought that things were fine and he was coping well too. _Apparently, he had been wrong…_

Hinata didn't say anything else after she had told him that last night was the third time he had called Sakura's name in his sleep. He had tried to disregard her statements with laugh. But she had kept quiet. Now that he thought about it, she was probably upset with him. He couldn't blame her – he was upset with himself as well.

Then again, now that his whole masquerade had been revealed, it was probably time for him to start looking within, he thought. Time to draw out all his feelings for Sakura and throw them away for good. Time to give his heart to the one person who had cared for him the most. Yet, he had no idea how to go about this whole affair. Hinata had made up her mind to leave. He had never seen her that resolved before and somehow, he really didn't know how to make her stay.

Overwhelmed, Naruto heaved a heavy sigh before propping his forehead onto his wooden desk…

%%%

The house smelled of great food as he walked in. For a spell, Naruto couldn't distinguish between feeling happy or sad because as far as he knew, great food was always associated with happy times. Putting himself in a positive spirit, he quickly took off his shoes and coat, before running towards the kitchen. Apparently, Hinata had been cooking up a storm. He realized that when his wife came through the door with plates of barbequed pork and tempura prawns on either hand.

"Wow, what a feast," Naruto commented as he took the plates from her hands and placed them onto the dining table which was already laden with a variety of food.

"Let's eat!" Hinata smiled before quickly turning around to get the utensils.

That was all she needed to do or not to do, to alert tell him that this whole feast was just a façade. _She didn't even give him a 'welcome home' kiss._

Quietly, Naruto took his seat as Hinata took hers.

"I bought milk," she said, as she picked up her pair of chopsticks. "It won't last you too long. One week or so..."

"Hinata…" Naruto started.

"I've arranged for Momo-baachan to come once a week to help clean up the place. She'll do the laundry and the…"

"Hinata…" he called again.

She wouldn't look at him as she picked on her food. "Ichiraku would be a nice place to go back to. Teuchi-san's ramen is still the best in town."

This time, he chose to keep quiet for a second before finally sighing, "Not as good as yours."

She fell quiet. Somehow, she still couldn't bring herself to look into those pair of blue eyes, fearing that she would give in. Truth is, she really didn't want to leave and a big part of her knew that this whole arrangement was too sudden. She had acted on a kind of offense and had let herself be governed by her very own impulse. She was upset with Naruto and disappointed with herself at the same time. Nevertheless, she knew that going away was the best thing for them at the moment. Perhaps it was because she was afraid she'd hear him utter the name again in his sleep. Perhaps she was afraid of what she might have to do in the end. Although she didn't really want to leave, she didn't want to pretend that everything was fine too. At this point in time, even though she knew that Naruto needed her, she felt that she would have to be selfish. This time, she would put herself before him…

**A/N: My thanks to those who have so kindly left me a review. It really made my day and I really appreciate all of them. Next chapter would be the conclusion so until then …won't you entertain me with some more reviews? Thanks!**

- softwinds -


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know I said this would be the last chapter but I suppose I do need to do another…**

I do not own Naruto…

He offered to do the dishes after their unusually quiet dinner. She thanked him as she placed all the plates into the sink before silently walking away. They were being distant, he realized. Too courteous – like they had just gotten to know each other.

Soon after, when he had finished washing and putting away all the plates, he found her in their bedroom… _packing_. Suddenly, he could feel a painful tug in his heart. The whole arrangement was almost unreal until now. _She was really leaving._ Dejectedly, he moved to sit on the bed, just beside her bag as he watched her pack. Many seconds passed before he reached out to clutch her hand.

"Don't go," he said.

Those two words were all he needed to say. For a moment, she stood frozen as tears slowly filled her eyes. Nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he continued.

A tear made its way down her cheek. He stood up to wipe it with his thumb. Another tear rolled down her other cheek. Leaning forward, he pulled her into his arms, allowing the tears to soak onto his shoulder. It pained him to see her so sad.

"I'm sorry," he said again as he tightened his hold. They stayed in that position for a good long time before he loosened his embrace and moved to place his hands on her shoulders instead. Then, he looked into her eyes. "I… I just want us to be together. I won't say the name again," he promised.

"You don't even know you did," she quietly said as she looked down to wipe more tears away.

"I know… but the next time I do it, just give me a slap or hit me hard…"

"It's your feelings towards Sakura that mattered here…" she finally spoke out. "You… still have feelings for her."

"I'm sorry," he didn't really know what else to say. "I… I'll change. I'll… I'll not think of her again. I won't even see her."

As it turned out, she had to look up, straight into his eyes as they both realized that he had just made a ridiculous offer. How could he not see Sakura at all since he's the Hokage and she's the medical head? They were routinely dependent on one another and not seeing her would be counter-efective in many ways. And wouldn't he have to put in extra effort just to avoid her? Wouldn't that make him more sensitive to Sakura's very presence? …_Wouldn't he start to think of her more often then?_

"I need you to help me, Hinata. I want to start anew. I… I'll get rid of any… any feeling I might still have for…" he was careful not to say the name. "Just… just stay… please."

She contemplated his words for a moment as he slowly took her hands, "Give me a chance."

They stayed still for a while, looking straight into each other's eyes - eyes as distinct as they could be. She searched for the earnestness in his words in those deep, blue eyes. His offer was more than tempting. It would be so much easier to say yes. So much easier to just stay in Konoha and not have to go so far away, to a land as distant and different as she could imagined and with people she hadn't even gotten to know. So much easier to just shove every negative feeling aside and concur that her husband will not have feelings for Sakura anymore from now on. So much easier to just put her arms round his waist and believe that they could start afresh this very minute.

Time stood still as they stood hand in hand, she, in quiet contemplation while he, in need for an answer.

The spell was broken when the doorbell rang.

Stirring from their stationary stance, Hinata turned and walked out to get to the front door, leaving Naruto feeling a little disconcerted. For a fleeting second, he thought he could see her relenting - he was almost sure she would stay.

Upon opening the door, Hinata found herself face to face with the last person she wanted to see at this point in time.

"Hinata," Sakura greeted with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Where is he?" She sauntered into the house looking for the Hokage.

Outside, Sasuke was leaning nonchalantly on the wall beside the front door, not at all interested in going in.

"Uh… Sakura," Naruto croaked out in surprise as he walked out of the bedroom.

"_Naruto!_" Sakura cried as she strode across the floor. "What have you done? You're sending Hinata away?"

"Sa… Sakura," he called out the name in a whisper this time – a name that had become a most sensitive subject at present. And then, as if in slow motion, he saw Hinata walked past them, entered the bedroom and closed the door.

"Naruto, you brainless fool," Sakura continued. "How could you send your own wife away for such a long time? Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how far Oiru is from Konoha? It takes six to seven days just to get there, double the time for normal people. Now, do you know how far that is? …Why are you doing this? What happened? Have you lost your mind? I mean, I can't even start to believe this whole thing. Three years? That's such a long…"

"Sakura, please…" Naruto finally interrupted. "...please… leave."

"Wh…?" those words took her by surprise. The pink-haired lady had never thought she would hear her good friend utter such words.

"You heard him," Sasuke reiterated as he stood at the front door with his hands folded. "Come on, let's go."

It took her a while to get over her shock. The Hokage was clearly not himself today. Arguably, Naruto was her friend, a very close friend indeed. And Hinata was also a good friend and for that reason, she thought she had to help them out when she heard that Hinata was leaving. To her, Naruto must have mismanaged the task he had assigned his wife. She still believed that the blonde-haired Hokage could so often act like the heedless, dense and foolish young child he used to be. But then again, his words suddenly made her feel like she had been a little too bossy, too interfering. It took her some seconds to let the words sink in before she realized that she should actually let her two friends run their lives themselves.

Slightly embarrassed, Sakura quietly emitted, "Just make sure she's going to be fine, okay?"

Naruto dropped his head. What could he say in a time like this?

"Let's go now," Sasuke called out again, his voice now laced with amusement. It's not often the Uchiha get to see his friend so dispirited. To him, Naruto's pose was actually amusing to watch.

"-kay," Sakura finally conceded, her voice toned down as she quietly walked out of the house and closed the door.

It took the Hokage many minutes, contemplating on how totally disastrous this whole affair was turning out to be, before he sighed and turned towards the bedroom. Then, as he opened the door, he found the whole room in total darkness. A few seconds passed before he could see the outline of his wife on the bed. She didn't want to talk, that was expected. But, just as he was about to climb into bed, something caught the corner of his eyes – Hinata's dark-blue, cotton canvas bag lay at the side of the bed. Apparently, she had finished packing…

%%%

Muro Kazuo stood in anticipation, many paces away from his father and his three servants, tapping his feet impatiently. The large wooden structure that made up the main entrance of the leaf village that they were currently standing under, didn't seem to interest him at all. Before long, he spotted the one person that had kept him spellbound since she stepped into the Hokage's office yesterday. Reflexively, he strode towards the person, immediately realizing that the Hokage was with her. He thought it weird that a village leader would actually show up in person to bid a subordinate farewell and not only that, Naruto was actually carrying Hinata's bag.

"Aa… Hokage-sama, what a surprise. I didn't imagine you would actually show up in person here," the guest from Oiru exclaimed as he reached out to take the bag.

Naruto didn't answer as he tightened his hold on the handle and subtly flashed an annoyed gaze at the curly-haired male.

"Hokage-sama?" Kazuo called out, a little taken aback before Naruto slowly released his grip. "Good!" Then, grabbing the bag and turning to Hinata, he flashed a smile so broad that it brought out a pair of deep longish dimples on his cheeks. "It's so nice to see you again, Hinata-san. I just can't wait to bring you hom…" he paused when he thought he spotted an almost deadly glint from the Hokage. "…I mean… I can't wait to bring you to… my… village."

Hinata could only force a smile as she gave a nod of consent. Being on a mission, she had chosen to put on the standard shinobi uniform, complete with a flak jacket. This however, seemed to piqued Kazuo's curiosity and interest. The dark-haired lady looked different in proper uniform. He soon decided that he liked the appearance.

"Hokage-sama," Kazuhiro then called out as he joined the party, giving a nod before Naruto returned the gesture while Hinata gave a bow. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?" the older man remarked.

"Yea…" the Hokage answered with a sigh.

"You know, Hinata-san, you've got such smooth, beautiful hair," the younger Muro heedlessly said as he boldly reached out to touch Hinata's hair.

Then, without warning, the young man felt a sudden jab to his neck before his hands fell limp on his sides and his tongue went numb.

"Wh… what happened?" the father cried out as he turned his son around to perceive what had gone wrong while the servants came to assist.

They didn't see it – not the pair of father and son; not even the three servants who had been standing nearby. But Naruto saw it or rather, he had felt it. It would have taken a highly-skilled shinobi with sensory skills to spot the attack and he figured that the two genin at the nearby counter would have missed it altogether too. Hinata had inflicted a temporary paralysis on Kazuo's sensory nerve. In just split seconds, she had activated her Byakugan, aimed a stream of chakra at the male's neck and injected a little chakra to paralyze the nerve and muscle function around his tongue and hands. The whole execution was so swift and discreet that nobody else knew that the Hokage's wife had just made a silent attack on the guest from Oiru.

"Are you okay, Kuzuo-san?" Hinata then asked in an act of concern.

Naruto chose to keep quiet though. Usually, in a situation like this, he would have laughed and cheered aloud. But then today, in such circumstance, he couldn't bring himself to see humor in the action. Not even when he highly approved that the curly-haired, dimple-flashing guest deserved the attack. Inwardly, only one thing stood out clearly in his opinion as he felt a calming relief within – Hinata was fully capable of taking care of herself.

"It must have been a bee…" Hinata finally said, artfully looking around. "I think I saw one flying by earlier."

"A bee?" the older Muro exclaimed as one of the servants hastily looked for sting marks on his master's neck and hands.

"Don't worry, Kazuhiro-sama," the Hokage's wife then offered. "It happens often here but the effect is only temporary… Give it half an hour or so… he'll be fine by then."

"Are you sure?" the older man asked as he scrutinized his son's condition. "Can you walk?"

Kazuo could only make muffling sounds as drool started running down his chin. To rub salt into the wound, he couldn't even lift his hand to wipe the drool away. Nevertheless, his legs weren't affected.

"He'll be fine," Naruto finally emitted with a sigh.

"Can we leave then?" Kazuhiro asked. They have a long journey ahead and it would be impractical to delay any further.

"Why don't you go along first," Hinata quietly suggested. "I'll catch up."

With a mixture of anxious and thankful expression, the old man gave a nod before leading his son along. They were followed closely by the three servants who were carrying a few bags each between them and Naruto couldn't help paying attention to the small, dark-blue, cotton canvas bag on the right hand of a tall, burly assistant. Quietly, he decided that he didn't like that particular servant. The dark, burly male was taking with him a part of Hinata's belonging and what Oiru was actually gaining would be Konoha's loss – _his loss_.

A few seconds later, when the party from the Land of Oil was out of sight, the blonde-haired Hokage turned to face his wife.

"I…" he started, before Hinata instantaneously moved forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Naruto's waist.

Her action was so fast, so sudden that it took the Hokage by surprise. But he quickly returned the affection with an equally fervent hug. At that point in time, they understood that they were actually savoring their last embrace – something that they will have to fall back upon for at least two to three years. Perhaps, for that reason, they were not at all concerned with the fact that there were two genins on duty at the check-in counter not too far away. All the same, the two young men had chosen to look away, allowing the Hokage and his wife their little private moment.

"I know you care a lot..." Hinata finally stated as she slowly loosened her hold. "...and I know you're worried... I'll be fine." Then, she placed a hand on his chest, her eyes brimming with tears. "But until you find it in you… to actually love me."

And with that, she swiftly turned and leapt from the ground, instantly disappearing from sight.

"_Hinata!"_ Naruto called out as her words echoed in his mind and a heavy weight slowly settled into his heart.

He had let her go, allowing her to leave for three long years, into a land far away. Undeniably, he was angry with himself because he couldn't get her to stay. It was his fault, he thought. Somehow, he felt guilty of what had come to light and that feeling was enough to take away all of his resolve. But now, standing at the entrance of the leaf village, under the large wooden structure, he could only wish he had been more adamant, more resolute. He should have claimed that she had been wrong. He should have played out his part, insisting that she was being too sensitive. He should have insisted that he did love her… _he should have made her stay by all means._

Afterwards, taking in a deep breath and releasing it in a heavy sigh, Naruto finally turned to walk away. It was too late now. Too late to do or even say anything anymore and all that he could do now was wait. However, as he took his first step, he felt something in his hidden chest pocket… something that wasn't there earlier. Curiously, he put his hand into his coat and felt for the object inside it. And then his heart gave a sudden jolt as he slowly fish out the article with his fingers. There, in his right hand, between his thumb and index finger, was Hinata's wedding ring…

**A/N: Once again, I'd like to thank all those who have so thoughtfully left me review(s) for the two chapters. To those of whom I couldn't reach – **_KirbySuperStarNinja, Andrea, anne, Lisa Jones, angel0014, D. Rider, LeeRocks, jess, Lista, Mylady, Arsenal89, Guest NaruHina _**and**_ Jimbo_** – thank you for your reviews. **

**In truth, I've never been that amused or entertained with comments for my stories before. This story (Chapter 2, especially), seemed to have drawn out quite a lot of contrasting remarks and I have to admit, it had been quite an eye-opener. End of the day, I cannot deny that I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the reviews (except one from a guest who wouldn't say much except 'Just like the rest of your stories, this sucks' – *ouch). But I suppose it was a wake-up call. At least now I know I really do have to draw out the ending which I've initially decided to leave out in order to allow the readers to figure and create their own conclusions. So, there will be a next chapter. **

**Nevertheless, I do have some things I'd like to express and I cannot do so here because it would take up too much space. To those who have reviewed this story earlier and hope to get a little feedback from my part, I hope you would check out my profile (under the subtitle 'The Ring That Binds,') so that I could provide a little explanation to the storyline. Thanks!**

**As usual, to the readers who have enjoyed or even hated this, leave me a review won't you? Let me know exactly what I've done right or wrong. I'd appreciate whatever comments. Thanks again!**

- softwinds -


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know many of you are going to hate me now because this regrettably, will not be the last chapter (and there's no promise that the next chapter will be the last). So… sorry.**

I do not own Naruto…

Hinata practically ran through the streets and then, up the stairs towards the Hokage's office. By the time she arrived at the door, she was gasping for air but in spite of that, she was smiling. She was finally home, back in Konoha, back to be with Naruto again. When her panting finally subsided, she raised her hand and knocked at the door. There was no answer. Surprised, she knocked again before the door swung opened and there, standing right before her, was Sakura.

"Hinata?" the pink-haired lady asked in shock. "You came back?"

"I…"

"Who is it, Sakura?" Naruto's voice came from inside. Hinata's heart gave a leap at the sound of the familiar voice she had been waiting so long to hear.

Sakura didn't answer. She only stood aside to allow the Hokage access to the person at the door.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked in an equally shocked tone that the medic had held earlier, standing up from his desk to walk toward her. "You came back?"

"I…" Hinata was confused. Naruto and Sakura sounded like they never expected her to return. "Naruto…"

"I thought you wouldn't come back anymore," Naruto continued.

"I never said I…" the dark-haired lady started to explain but half way through, she lost her voice when she saw Sakura slowly taking Naruto's hand. And then she spotted the one thing that made her entire person freeze in position, an invisible knife stabbing into her heart. There, on the fourth finger of Sakura's left hand, was _her_ wedding ring.

"_No!"_ Hinata screamed as she sat up with a start. Her heart was beating erratically and she was gasping for air. Then, she looked around the room, lit only with a nightlight and realized that she had only been dreaming. Nevertheless, she couldn't help feeling extremely wretched and the pain she had felt earlier had persisted in her conscious state. What if the dream came true?

Still panting, she brought her hand up to glimpse at her ring-less finger as tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. She had returned the ring to Naruto before she left for Oiru. At that juncture, it had felt like the proper thing to do. She had given her husband an opening – a chance to choose to either come to love her or to give up on her entirely. But now, sitting all alone in the room, in a village far away from Konoha, she couldn't help regretting her very action. What if Naruto actually chose to give up on her? She couldn't help it as she started sobbing quietly. The stakes are high and with each passing day, she was slowly losing faith in herself. _What if she lost the only person she had ever loved?_

%%%

He was a wreck… and it had only been five weeks since she left.

Here, sitting on one of the high stools of a bar inside Shushuya, Naruto gulped down his third glass of sake for the night. It wasn't by chance that he had become a daily patron to this place since five weeks ago. He had been here twice before, although those rendezvous had been for some sort of celebratory occasions. Now though, he was patronizing this place every night because he needed to avoid all those places he used to frequent. Too many places brought back too many memories for him – bitter memories. Even Ramen Ichiraku which used to be one of his favorite hangouts, would only painfully remind him of all the times he had spent there with his friends… _with Sakura… with Hinata. _

The Hokage took another swig of liquor before signaling for more in a helpless feat to get drunk. It was useless though. He had never had the chance to know what it was like to be intoxicated – not with Kurama's influence. Then again, tonight, he couldn't help wondering if the nine-tailed fox could still shield him after some thirty glasses of sake. What about fifty? He had the whole night… it wouldn't hurt to find out.

"Ahh… Hokage-sama," came a female voice from his side just as he guzzled his eighth glass of sake for the night. "Won't you buy me a drink?"

Naruto tilted his head ever so slightly to his right, spotting a lady with dark, red hair who was making herself comfortable on the high stool beside him. Unconcerned, he turned back to his drinks.

"Oh, come on…" the lady pleaded in a compellingly seductive tone. "I noticed you've been coming here every night… alone. You must be lonely. Don't you want company…, Hokage-sama?"

He didn't answer. Truth was, he didn't really think he needed company anymore since the one person whom he was supposed to be spending time with, had left; and another whom he had been in love with since a long time ago, was married. Somehow, companionship had become a vague, almost hated statement. Maybe in time, he would learn to live alone again, just like he used to in his younger days.

Nevertheless, the red-haired lady seemed unfazed by Naruto's lack of interest. He was acting cool, she thought. All men loved to act cool around women, especially those who were powerful and influential. Yet deep inside, they were all the same – lustful and eager. With a little persistence, she was sure she could get the handsome, young Hokage to be more responsive.

Subsequently, the lady pulled her chair nearer so that she was only sitting inches from Naruto. Then, she leaned closer, purposefully adjusting her off-the-shoulder garment to expose a good bit of her chest. "You know… I can help… perk you up…." she offered. "…name's Hiroko."

He contemplated her words for a while. It was tempting to give in… _he had been deprived_. For a fleeting second, the Hokage thought he could see Jiraiya standing at his side, giving him his approval. Having travelled with his godfather for more than two years, he had, on a few occasions, heard the older man conveyed how women did not typically express interest in him. Consequently, he was almost sure Jiraiya would think it totally insane if he actually refused such a persuasive offer.

Soon after, Hiroko shrewdly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and whispered into his ears, "I'm really good in bed."

Again, he didn't respond but, he didn't seem to refuse her either. And when she leaned further and placed a hand on his thigh, he thought he might actually cave in. The red-haired lady continued to lead the Hokage on as she brazenly rested her chin on his shoulder. At this point, she was actually quite sure she had secured the eagerness of Konoha's most handsome and powerful leader.

Next, she breathed into his ears, "We could get to your place if you want..."

That very statement immediately became her undoing as it dawned on Naruto what he really didn't want – he didn't want to have another woman in his house, touching his things and soiling his sheets. Maybe it was the guilty part of him who thought he had let his wife down. In some ways, he had to admit that he still had feelings for Sakura. Every time they met, he realized that he had to put in a little extra effort just to appear normal… like how it had always been before Sasuke took her from him.

Then again, maybe he didn't want to bring another woman home because he did in fact love Hinata. He couldn't really tell. Part of him thought he loved her; another part hated her for leaving. On many instances, he was so torn in two that he wondered if he actually held a clone Zetsu within him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprise if he did wake up with a body that held two different colored halves – one that would convince him that he loved Hinata a great deal and another that would argue that it was only natural desire, that he had never loved her before.

Nevertheless, he knew that it would really hurt Hinata if he ever brought a woman to their house. And a small part of him really didn't want to hurt her anymore… _not another time and not with another woman._

With that realization, he gave a mirthless smile. He really wasn't attracted to the temptress in the first place. So, he stood up and searched his pocket for his wallet before placing some money on the counter for his drinks.

After that, he turned to the lady on the high stool. "You know, I really am not interested…," he quipped and to throw cold water to her advances, he added, "Plus, your breasts are simply too small for my liking."

With that, he walked out of the place with a humorless grin, leaving the girl named Hiroko, fuming with annoyance.

Once outside, he sighed, the weight in his heart as profound as ever. He was completely disoriented. For the past few weeks, he would only go home way after midnight. It had become like a routine – after leaving his office, he would head for Shushuya, have dinner, _which never included ramen_, accompanied by plenty of drinks before finally leaving for home. Today however, he was forced to leave early, without having eaten anything and insolently passing up a clearly immoral opportunity to sleep with a girl.

Still, he really didn't want to go home – not when Hinata's not there, not where the anger and guilt in his heart was most unbearable. So, he started walking… without direction, without purpose.

Everything around him seemed unfeeling, unreal. In the day time, it was easy to past time – he had tons of work to do in the office. Often, he would take as much time as he could to scrutinize his paperwork, reading them word by word, up to the point where he believed the normally unperturbed Yamato was starting to get a little irritated. But he wasn't really flustered with his work, not when it kept his mind away from his predicament and not when it was the only thing that kept him sane.

Yet now, no longer in the comfort of the office, he realized that he was as lost as a sheep out in the open. He needed someone to guide him, someone to give him objective. He needed someone to tell him exactly what he should do. Then, as he slowly drifted away from the main path, he realized there was one place he could actually go to… _he would pay a visit to the Uchihas. _

%%%

It took many seconds before Sasuke opened the door.

For a moment, the Uchiha candidly scrutinized his friend before dispassionately asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I want dinner," the Hokage simply stated.

"I have nothing… now leave."

Naruto strained a smile. He was familiar with Sasuke's attitude and knew better that his friend never really meant to upset. But just to get on his nerves, he added, "I'm the Hokage."

That little assertion on Naruto's part was enough to irritate the Uchiha as he immediately attempted to slam the door. But Naruto stopped the door halfway.

"Hinata's not here…" he finally gave in. "I just want to have dinner with a friend… a friend."

"Who is it?" Sakura called out from inside.

"Sakura…" Naruto emitted as he allowed himself into the house.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?" the medical head asked in apprehension. She understood that the Hokage had been staying alone since Hinata left for Oiru and was genuinely concerned with how he was coping by himself. Even though he seemed completely fine every time she saw him in his office, something in her could tell that Naruto was actually very upset. Plus, she couldn't help feeling that he was hiding something from her. Naruto however, could only give a lingering gaze at the pink-haired lady before looking away.

"The fool needs dinner," Sasuke drawled as he walked past to get to the dining table.

"Uh… well… I… I've just fried some eggs," the pink-haired medic muttered in confusion.

"Good," Naruto exclaimed as he walked past to join the other Uchiha at the table.

"Uh… okay," Sakura added. She was completely at a loss at what Naruto was up to but decided to play along. "I… I'll just… just fry more eggs!"

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura uttered many minutes later when she joined the two at the table.

The Hokage had never sat down with his ex-teammates for dinner in their house before. This was his first time. In some way, there was a strained feeling in the air as the three quietly picked up their chopsticks and started eating. From his seat, Naruto observed as Sakura picked some eggs and placed them into Sasuke's bowl. By this time however, he was starting to feel like he was in the wrong place and badly needed to leave. Yet he couldn't just stand up and run off and for that reason, he ate quickly, pushing rice and eggs into his mouth and hardly chewing before gulping them down. When he finished his food, he wolfed down a glass of water before instantaneously standing up.

"That had been a pleasant dinner," he quickly stated. "I… I have to go now."

"Really?" Sasuke questioned, smiling. He had hardly taken a bite of his food. In truth, Sakura had added way too much salt to the eggs. He couldn't understand how Naruto was able to even swallow the over-seasoned food.

But the Hokage simply couldn't stay any longer. He was hurting, he was brokenhearted. All these months, he had been avoiding coming into direct company with his two best friends at the same time because he was afraid. He was afraid that he would hate them for getting married to each other. He didn't want to acknowledge the reality of Sakura being someone else's. He hated the fact that Sasuke had always been the one person Sakura had ever loved.

Silently, he forced a smile before turning towards the door. "Thanks and good-night," he uttered curtly before striding out and quickly closing the door behind him.

Once outside, he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, fisting his hands at the same time. He had been foolish calling on the Uchihas the way he had. He should have gone to another eatery or gone to the other side of town. At this point in time, even Kakashi's place would have been a better choice, even when his ex-sensei never seemed to have any food around his house. Then again, he wasn't even hungry in the first place and food was not actually what he was looking for. It was something else…

When he finally opened his eyes that were starting to sting with tears and anger, Naruto took a deep breath before he started to run. He ran and leapt as fast as he could. He needed to leave the compound, needed to get away. He could feel his chest tightening as desolation slowly gripped him. He had never had to face his resentment this way before. How could he defy the hidden enemy within him?

The night wore on as he ran and leapt, going round and round the wooded areas of Konoha in an attempt to lose the pain in his heart - in an attempt to run away from all the memories he had shared with Sakura before. It was useless though. The pain remained unhealed while his mind kept replaying all the times he had shared with his old teammate.

It wasn't until after midnight when he finally yielded and decided to go home. Once back in his house, he slumped onto the sofa in the living room with a heavy sigh. He had dreaded to come home. He didn't want to understand why things have turned out the way it had. He didn't want to be the one hurting. Even though he still couldn't decide whether he loved Hinata or not, he believed that he had always treated her well. It wasn't fair that she had chosen to leave.

With a sudden burst of resentment, Naruto roughly tugged at the ring on his finger – the one thing now that was binding him and Hinata together. Forcefully pulling it out of his finger, he blindly threw it away. The ring hit the wall and then fell onto the ground before rolling on its side and finally landed under a side table. Nevertheless, he didn't even pay heed to where it had ended up as he slumped back onto the sofa. He was ready to give up on his marriage, ready to give up on Hinata. He would let her know that he didn't want her anymore when she comes back. He would laugh at her stupidity, pushing him aside – he, the prominent and powerful Hokage of Konoha. And then, she would cry. Cry and sob and weep, begging him to take her back. And he would say 'no.'

…_And he would say 'no?'_ Naruto shook his head sharply when he pictured Hinata crying. He could still remember how painful it was to see her cry the night before she left. Her eyes had been brimming with tears too when she had quietly placed her ring into his pocket. She had been hurting… and _he_ had been the cause of it. In his half conscious mind, the Hokage placed a hand onto his chest and with a slow, rubbing motion, felt for Hinata's ring in his chest pocket. Then, he realized in horror that her ring wasn't there.

Panic gripped him as he promptly straightened up and frantically searched his pocket. He was still wearing the same red coat… or was he? It had been five long weeks since Hinata had left and suddenly, he realized that he had had a few change of coats. But then, the past few weeks had passed in such a blur that he couldn't recall doing any laundry at all. Then, he remembered his wife telling him that she had arranged for someone to come clean the house and do the laundry. With that realization, his heart gave a jolt before he ran to the back of the house where they normally did all the washing. However, he couldn't help the sinking feeling within him – what if Momo-baachan accidentally threw the ring away?

He searched the place, turning over a basket of clothes and madly shaking and inspecting every piece of coat in there. The heightened dread within him was making his heart beat erratically. After that, he searched the floor, lifting every thing in sight and picking up every little material he could find. Still, nothing. By this time, he was starting to feel a little disheartened and his breathing had become more strenuous. Later, he got down on his knees and hands, bending his head and practically combed the floor for the ring. Again, there was nothing. Many minutes and more meticulous searching later, he finally came to terms with the fact that he had truly lost Hinata's ring. With that in mind, he slowly slumped onto the floor, quietly panting.

He stayed that way for a long time until his breathing returned to normal, all the while wondering how he was ever going to find the ring. He could only wish that Momo-baachan had kept it safely for him. Nevertheless, the chances of the old lady actually noticing a small ring inside a hidden pocket were slim. He gave a defeated sigh. By this time, he felt almost hopeless, like his world had started crumbling all around him again and the very last piece of object that might be able to safe his current predicament was nowhere in sight. Naruto buried his head in his hands, releasing a throaty groan. The night wore on before he finally exhaled with resignation and slowly stood up. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a bowl on top of a hanging shelf. Reaching out and bringing it down, his heart gave a leap when he saw what was in the bowl. There, sitting snugly inside the small, white, ceramic bowl, was Hinata's wedding ring.

"Thank you, baa-chan," he quickly whispered as he took the ring and clenched it in his palm.

It wasn't sophisticated, wasn't even highly expensive; but the ring was something that had bound Hinata to him and his ring, to her. However, until he resolved his feelings, this ring will be a keepsake for him, something that he had appropriately decided, would see him through this very difficult time. Afterwards, an idea came to his mind and he ran out to the living room, this time, in search for his ring. When he found it, he proceeded to the bedroom and pulled out a leather string necklace from a side drawer. Then, he put the necklace through the two rings with a smile before securing them around his neck, the two metal bands sitting firmly over his chest. Afterwards, he placed a hand over them and heaved a contented sigh. Somehow, in all the confusion that was going on in his mind the past many weeks, one thing suddenly stood out clearly – the rings were meant to be together...

**A/N: Again, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed the previous chapter. To those I couldn't reach – **_Johnny, KirbySuperStarNinja, Andrea, Gea, Anne _**and** _Jimbo_** – thanks for the reviews!**

**To those who were really upset with how the story had turned out, I apologize for the shortcomings. **

**Once again, to those who have enjoyed or actually felt strongly about this story in any way, either in a positive or negative way, please leave me a review. Tell me how you really feel. I'd really appreciate whatever comments. (And I actually don't mind criticisms).**

**Thanks!**

**- softwinds - **


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto…

Sitting on a long bench underneath a makeshift shed, Hinata reached for her canteen and took a drink of water before gently wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She had taken it on herself to introduce a small training area behind the academy. It wasn't in the original plan until much later but she thought that with an open area equipped with some basic training apparatus to flaunt, she might actually be able to draw out more enthusiasm among the soon-to-be shinobi of the village.

Oiru wasn't a big village to start with but it sure covered some contrasting landscapes. From an overall point of view, it was a beautiful village with picturesque scenery of sturdy wooden houses built around lush foliage. But then, there were also many small parts of the village that were barren, save for some measly, low-growing shrubs. These parts however, were what gave the village its name, for the earth on the barren area was made up of oil. Black, oily sand to be exact – a compound of oil and sand that gave a thick, almost greasy, offensive appearance. Yet it was also these unpleasant-looking parts that were drawing in too much interest and Muro Kazuhiro, being the head of the village, knew that he had to do something to safeguard his village before outsiders start plundering into this land. Oil was highly priced everywhere and Oiru was starting to attract too much attention for its own good. That was reason enough to start a ninja school in the village. The villagers badly needed to be able to protect their own land.

Nevertheless, the characteristics of the place didn't really entice Hinata in the first place, nor did it bother her... not when her spirit was somewhere else and not when she was constantly carrying a heavy weight in her heart. It hadn't been that obvious at first but as the days passed, she began to realize that the ache in her chest wouldn't go away – in fact, it was slowly albeit surely, draining her very soul.

Heaving a sigh, Hinata reached for her lunch box and gently opened the lid to some plain rice with braised chicken and pumpkin. Then, she drew out a pair of chopsticks and a spoon from her lunch bag.

"_Hinata!_" Muro Kazuo called out just as she was about to start eating.

"Ka… Kazuo-san," Hinata softly muttered. Admittedly, she had been trying to avoid the brown-haired male, choosing to work on the training grounds all by herself instead just to stay away from his wearisome presence. The young master seemed madly in love with her, something that had worried Hinata a lot since her arrival to the Land of Oil. He was always around, either with an excuse to pick up some shinobi skills and learn more about its function and connection, or to assist her in getting acquainted with the people and places within Oiru. Generally, she wondered if he was even interested in the whole operation of the academy.

"I've been looking for you," the curly-haired male said as he pulled her lunch box away and put its lid back on. "Don't eat this. Let's go for something different," Kazuo continued, as he hurriedly put her lunch box, chopsticks and spoon back into her bag and quickly grabbed her wrist.

"But…"

"Come on, let's go."

"Kazuo-san," Hinata uttered as she stood up and quickly pulled her hand away. The young male was being a little too friendly, too affectionate. It bothered her that he was being so nice all the time.

"There's this place that serves the best ramen in the whole of this village," Kazuo continued, oblivious to her withdrawal. "You must try it."

"Ra…ramen?"

"Yeah, ramen… You do take ramen, don't you?"

"I…" the dark-haired lady deliberated on her answer. She had always loved ramen, or rather, she had always loved the one person who simply adored ramen. And because of his love for the food, she had somehow grown to love eating it too. But now, being so far apart from him, she couldn't bring herself to take on the noodles. In truth, just a mention of the word 'ramen' was enough to elicit an emotional reaction from her already frail spirit.

Yet, the young Muro wouldn't allow her time to make up her mind as he once again grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll like it…"

%%%

Hinata sat unmoving inside the small restaurant, staring at the bowl of steaming hot ramen before her. By some means, she already knew that a simple bowl of noodles could draw out scores of memories of the times she had spent with Naruto in the past – happy memories that could only add to her torment, now that things have turned out the way it had. That was reason enough for her reluctance to join the young master in the ramen shop in the first place. She didn't want to recall the painful part of the past which a harmless bowl of ramen could so easily bring forth. She didn't want to acknowledge just how much she was actually hurting.

"It's really good, you know. You could trust my taste on this. Just give it a try," Kazuo urged with much enthusiasm as he placed a pair of chopsticks over her bowl and then, picked himself a pair and started stirring his ramen.

Hinata quietly inhaled as she reached for the chopsticks before looking up. Then, all of a sudden, she could see Naruto slurping ramen right before her. Her husband looked up and grinned cheerfully.

"You know, Teuchi's ramen is really good," Naruto commented before his face saddened. "…but it's not as good as yours."

Her heart sank at those words and Hinata could feel guilt growing within her and tears slowly stinging her eyes. Then, Naruto's blonde hair and blue eyes slowly blurred and was gradually being replaced with curly, brown hair and even darker brown eyes.

"Hinata?" Kazuo quizzed as he leaned forward, curious to know why Hinata's eyes were suddenly teary. "Are you okay?"

She inhaled sharply through her nose and swallowed hard in an attempt to clear her mind and stop herself from actually crying. Subsequently, out of genuine concern, the curly-haired male placed a hand over hers and gave it a squeeze.

"You missed home?" Kazuo warily asked.

"I…" she didn't know how to answer.

_She also didn't pull her hand away like she normally would_. Perhaps, she was tired – physically tired from trying to keep herself away from the pale, young man all the time. Not only that, she had been keeping herself as busy as she could during daytime so that she could put her thoughts of Naruto aside as best as she could. But then, that had been ineffective in every way, because she would only end up staying up every night, often crying herself to sleep just thinking of him and about how everything had fallen apart between them in just two months.

Alternatively, perhaps she truly needed someone whom she could confide in, who could comfort her and tell her that everything would be fine when she finally get back. Someone who could provide her that little support she badly needed and restore her faith that was slowly draining away. Then again, perhaps it just felt good to have someone who seemed to truly love her for once and who would so candidly display his affections towards her whenever possible.

Hinata chose to keep quiet as she contemplated Muro Kazuo's stance. By and large, he was a lot like her – hopelessly in love with someone who would never be able to return the affection. At least that was what she thought, because Naruto didn't even deny still having feelings for his old teammate. How then, was he able to actually love her when his heart was somewhere else? She would have remained in Konoha if her husband had refuted her claim. She would have stayed back if he had been more adamant.

Hinata sighed as she finally pulled her hand away. It would be unfair to give Kazuo a wrong impression – their relationship, if any, could never work out. She didn't want history to repeat itself here. She didn't want him to feel like how she was feeling – like a fool, _a lovesick fool._ She was in love with Naruto, before and always. And even though it really hurt to admit the fact, she really hoped that he would actually come to love her.

"I'm sorry, Kazuo-san, I was just…" she trailed off as she started to gently stir her ramen.

"You were thinking of him weren't you? …Your husband?" the brown-haired male knowingly questioned.

It was too obvious that Kazuo hated the fact that Hinata was married. He had been shocked to find out about it when she first decided to inform him of her marriage status but he had pushed it aside, unfazed by that little fact. _He did have three years to work on getting her to change her mind_. Nevertheless, he also realized that every time he thought she had become more comfortable around him, she would quickly withdraw and then, put a gap between them.

Not eager to see Hinata withdraw again, the young master kept his hands to himself but in frustration, started jabbing his chopsticks into his bowl before shoving some noodles into his mouth and slurping aloud. Then, without looking up, he swallowed and asked, "Did he like ramen…?"

%%%

Sasuke stood panting as the white electrical chakra of his chidori slowly fizzled out and disappeared from his hand. Standing meters away from him, Naruto flashed him a triumphant smile before he slumped onto the ground, equally breathless. All around the two friends, trees were literally splintered while big rocks and boulders had exploded into pieces where the rasengan and chidori had collided.

"So, was that fun?" Sakura sarcastically asked as she naturally rushed towards the Uchiha.

Both men were injured, although not seriously. But that was nothing compared to the satisfaction they have just had from the overdue exchange. Naruto couldn't remember exactly when they had had their last sparring session. All he could recall was, it had been before Sasuke and Sakura got married and that was more than a year ago.

Lying on the ground, the Hokage watched his friend slowly slumped down as his wife started to administer healing on parts of his body that were injured, while loudly expressing her distaste for their earlier exchange. A month ago, he would have resented that very scene. But now, as he lay on the ground, a small smile started to form on his lips as he involuntarily put his hand onto where he knew he could feel a pair of rings resting under his shirt.

Somehow, he realized that things have changed… _he has changed._ It had been heartbreaking when he had first started to pay the Uchihas a visit. But despite his dilemma, he had continued to impose upon his friends, showing up for dinner every night ever since. He couldn't deny the first few days of his stopover had been dreadful. It had been tough for him to even bring his head up to look at his old teammates then, so all he could do was, whiz through dinner and promptly depart. Initially, he didn't know why he had persisted. At that time, he had thought that it was because he had wanted to see Sakura. Then again, there was Sasuke, and he really didn't like to see both of them together. After that, he slowly came to understand that this whole imposition on his part, whether spontaneous or planned, wasn't about them – _it was about him_. He needed to come face to face with his inner enemy. He needed to get out of his very miserable situation. He needed to find a way to let go of his feelings for Sakura and, the best approach was to actually come face to face with her… and her husband. _That_ was why he had persisted.

Nevertheless, throughout the whole ordeal, he had found solace in the form of a pair of rings sitting on his chest, hidden underneath his shirt. Every time he left the Uchiha's place, he would put his hand on his front and feel for the rings. It had started as a naive act of consolation for himself and he probably felt childish about it then. But at the outset, he really needed to be consoled and in some ways, he believed that the rings were able to provide him with that little support he needed.

As the days passed, things started to ease up. He realized that being exposed to actuality in the harshest way, had in one way or another, forced him to accept the reality of the whole situation. It had also helped him realized exactly how foolish he had been. All the same, with that acceptance and his eventual realization, he was able to slowly let go.

So, as he lay on the ground, allowing his body to heal itself, Naruto kept his hand over the rings. This time however, it wasn't so much for the need to be consoled. He was actually feeling composed, even contented. Composed, because he no longer felt any form of resentment towards his two best friends. Contented, because he was finally able to overcome the enemy within him.

On top of that, he felt that he was able to once again, have that close, unadulterated relationship with both of his ex-teammates, especially Sasuke. They had gone through too much together in the past and it had been his very own bitterness that had somehow, put a wall between them. He realized now that the Uchiha probably knew of his feelings towards Sakura. Then again, hadn't he been childishly displaying his affection towards her ever since they were much younger? The Hokage wouldn't admit that he had been obvious about his feelings lately but maybe, he had been trying a little too hard to appear gracious.

Naruto sighed aloud as he thought about how tactless he had been. Although he was feeling much better now, he realized that one person had been truly hurt throughout the whole process. Now, rubbing the rings under his shirt, he closed his eyes and quietly whispered, "Hinata."

"Time to go," Sasuke called out to him, many minutes later just as he was about to doze off.

The Hokage turned around to see the Uchiha standing beside him, completely healed.

"Do you need Sakura's help?"

"Nah," Naruto replied, as he slowly stood up, stretched his hands and yawned. "I've fully recovered."

"Told you," Sakura said as she walked up to them. "Let's go now. I still need to prepare dinner."

"Uh… why don't the two of you go ahead without me tonight," Naruto sheepishly uttered as he rubbed his head.

"You're not coming?" the pink-haired lady asked, a little surprised.

"Actually… no."

"Why?" Sakura couldn't help prying. Naruto had been showing up in her house for dinner every night for a whole month already and she and Sasuke actually expected him to continue to stop over until Hinata returned. Well, at least she had thought he would continue to impose upon them. Sasuke however, seemed to have been counting down the days till he finally stop appearing at their house.

"I thought I'd drop by at Teuchi's place tonight."

"Ramen?" Sasuke casually asked.

Naruto smiled. He was really feeling a lot more relaxed and the part of him that had been afraid to face his inner enemy had been overcome. "Yup, ramen."

%%%

It had been a long time since he had stepped into the small restaurant. Ramen Ichiraku however, looked the same to him.

"Hokage-sama!" Ayame, the owner's daughter called out aloud, surprised and excited at the same time. But before Naruto could dismiss her enthusiastic acknowledgement, the other patrons inside the little eatery had turned to look, some greeting him while others nodded their regards.

Naruto gave a curt nod in general before suddenly spying something that made him stop in his track. _The white eyes._ He had not seen them for a long time and it didn't occur to him that just having a glimpse could actually cause an effect on his part. Unsurprisingly, his gaze lingered upon the Hyuga as he automatically moved forward and took a seat beside him.

Hyuga Ko immediately stood up and gave a deep bow, "Hokage-sama."

"Please… no. We're not in Hiashi's house right now so… just, just Naruto, okay?"

The Hyuga took a few seconds to process the situation before giving another bow, "Naruto-sama."

Defeated, Naruto gave a sigh. He had forgotten how rigid the Hyugas could be with their all-too-proper upbringing and general conduct. "Just sit," he finally ordered.

In truth, Hinata's family consisted of many people… _too many_. And then, they were split into those from the main family and those of the branch. Changing the mindsets of the Hyuga and getting Hyuga Hiashi to stop dividing the clan into main and branch was what he had always wanted to do but, that will take time… and a lot of convincing on his part. On a different note, Naruto had found it a little tricky to remember the names of most of the Hyuga. To him, they all looked the same – fair-skinned, black-haired and with featureless white eyes. Other than that, they were almost always seen in either their traditional loose-robes, complete with brown haori or in standard shinobi uniforms.

Therefore, at that very moment, the Hokage found himself racking his brain, just trying to recall the name of the man sitting beside him – fair-skinned, black-haired, with featureless white eyes _and_, who at the moment, was wearing the traditional Hyuga robe. All he could remember was he used to be Hinata's personal guardian… _or was he?_ Had he really been paying that little attention to his wife or had she neglected to enlighten him with sufficient information to her family and clan? Somehow, he had never really given that much thought and suddenly, he wondered how it had been for his wife, growing up as a Hyuga, wearing the conventional Hyuga robes and bearing those same eyes.

Hopelessly, Naruto could only sit and offer a smile to Ko before Ayame carefully placed a bowl of piping hot ramen before him.

"Ah, thanks Ayame. Still remember what I liked, huh?

"Miso ramen with extra pork," the man beside him casually offered causing the Hokage and the shop owner's daughter to turn towards him, surprised with his knowledge.

"How'd you know, Ko?" Ayame asked.

"I happened to be… um, used to be Hinata-sama's personal guardian, Ayame-san."

"Well, off course you'd know. Silly me."

That little exchange was all Naruto needed to obtain two facts that he badly needed to be familiar with – the man's name was Ko and yes, he used to be Hinata's guardian.

"So, Hinata used to come here?" the blue-eyed Hokage casually asked, happy to be able to finally start a harmless conversation with the Hyuga.

"Actually, there was this one time when she would come everyday for two whole weeks," Ko reminisced. "She had wanted to learn how to cook ramen then."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Apparently, he had never thought to ask Hinata how she'd learnt to cook ramen before.

"I remember that time," Ayame laughed. "She was being real silly, you know? She'd come, order the same thing you would order, eat and taste the noodles ever so thoroughly and then leave. And she would do the same thing everyday!" The lady gave a hearty laugh. "She could have just told me that she wanted to learn how to cook for _you_, the Uzumaki Naruto who had been frequenting our place ever since he could walk… I'm sure father would have been willing to teach her. It's not like she's going to be opening a ramen shop or something. And you, Naruto, had always held a special place in my father's heart. So, for you, I'm sure he'll relent.

The blonde-haired male gave an awkward smile as he started to rub the back of his head.

"Hinata could have easily used her Byakugan too..." Ayame continued.

"Hinata-sama will never do something like that," Ko quickly defended.

"I know, I know," the young lady said as she dismissively waved that little statement off.

Ko sighed. "Well, you know what happened after that, right?"

Ayame smiled but Naruto found himself incapable of answering the question.

"I've never had that much ramen in my life before," the Hyuga admitted.

The shop owner's daughter laughed even louder while the Hokage found himself suddenly very interested with whatever Ko was imparting.

"I'm sure you know she took three long months to master the ramen dish. But, did she tell you that we had to be her guinea-pigs?" Ko gave a smile as he shook his head. "Momo-baachan had to start hiding any available ingredient away and Hanabi-sama had to pretend to be training with Hiashi-sama all the time." With that thought, the short-haired male actually gave a chuckle. "And the rest of us had to practically run away from Hinata-sama every time she emerged from the kitchen."

Ayame gave another hearty laugh, "Like I told you just now, she should have just asked my father."

"Ah, you know Hinata-sama. She would never try to bother anyone if she could help it."

"It turned out alright," Naruto finally said. _Much better, actually_.

"Off course it turned out alright," the lady of the shop said. "You'd be coming here more often if it had been otherwise."

Naruto grinned uneasily before deciding to turn his attention to the bowl of noodles in front of him.

"She was really proud of herself for that," Ko continued softly, as if talking to himself, his eyes unfocussed as he recalled the past. "There were so many other occasions when she had triumphed… and so many times when she had been able to surpass her father's expectations." Then, turning to the Hokage, he sighed. "If only Hiashi-sama had taken more time to see her differently and not always placed her as second best…"

Naruto stopped chewing on his noodles for a while, allowing the details to sink in. The word 'second-best' stood out like a sore thumb and for a moment, he could actually feel guilt descending upon him. But just as he was processing the circumstances, Hyuga Ko stood up abruptly, realizing that he had passed on too much.

"It's getting late. I have to get going. Good night, Hoka… um, Naruto-sama," the dark-haired male said as he gave a deep bow.

Naruto could only give a nod as he watch the Hyuga turn to leave.

Then, just as Ko stepped out of the restaurant, the Hokage called out, "Ko, uh… Can you let Hiashi know that I'd like to join him for dinner say, tomorrow…?"

**A/N: My thanks to all who have reviewed the previous chapter and once again, to those I couldn't reach, I'd really like to express how appreciative I have been of the reviews. To **_Jimbo, Hana, bibbab, naruhina, The Lazy Feline _**and**_ misha48,_** thanks for your reviews!**

**If you guys have been following the comments, you'd probably realize that I've been getting lesser and lesser challenging reviews. I wonder why… Have you guys completely given up on me? I hope not. Lol! I believe I still need to be assessed and criticized. So please, don't start getting lenient now and hopefully, you guys won't give up on me. Then again, positive comments are also very much appreciated! **

**Thanks! **

- softwinds -


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Naruto…

Of all the fifty or more photos on the wall, Naruto found himself staring at one in particular. At first sight, the lady in question seemed to look like any other Hyuga – fair-skinned, black-haired and white-eyed. The only other photo that had really captured his attention before this was that of team eight. It had thrilled him to see a photo of his wife with her teammates and their sensei in their younger days. It had also made him realize that he had forgotten how Hinata used to have short, hime-cut hairstyle and for a while, he thought that she looked really cute when she was younger.

He had paid some attention to some other photos too, especially the ones with Neji in them. He could never forget how Hinata's cousin had sacrificed his life to save him during the last war and even though it had been many years since the Hyuga prodigy had died, Naruto couldn't help experiencing a passing sense of sadness when he had detected Neji's face among the photos. After that, the Hokage had easily skimmed past all the other photos until he came to the picture of one particular lady. Somehow, he found that he was incapable of peeling his eyes off the person within. There was something about her that made him pause in his course. She was wearing an elegant, red kimono and as he leaned forward for a closer look, the Hokage noticed her features were almost flawless with smooth, porcelain-like complexion to flaunt. She had a pair of lavender-tinged eyes and a beautiful, straight nose. Nevertheless, it was the way her mouth curved into a smile that really seized his attention. She had a most enticing smile and for a moment, he knew that he was looking at a most beautiful lady.d

Initially, Naruto felt like he actually knew the person in the photo. Yet, he wondered if he was just confused and deluded after having glanced through so many photos on the wall. Maybe it was the hair – the flowing, dark, almost bluish tresses that reached the small of her back. Or maybe it was the fair skin and the smooth, porcelain-like complexion. Then, he realized that it was probably the smile that he could really acquaint with – attractive, yet in some way, bashful… something he was most familiar with.

"Why are you staring at my mom?"

Roused from his deliberation, Naruto quickly turned around to find Hinata's sister giving him an intent look.

"Huh?"

"You were staring at my mom," Hanabi alleged.

"Your mom? I… um… I…," the Hokage turned back to the photo as realization sank in. That little detail had easily explained the familiarity he had felt. Then turning around again, he studied the appearance of the young girl standing before him before carelessly adding, "You don't look a lot like her, though."

Hanabi frowned a little, not knowing whether or not to consider Naruto's comment an insult. Even though she had not had much chance to actually get to know her mom, from photos and from what she had gathered from other people, the late Hyuga matriarch had always been considered a real beauty. So, alternatively, she would have preferred to hear the blonde-haired male mention her resemblance to her mom rather than her dissimilarity.

"You have different hair color," the blonde-haired Hokage continued innocently. "…and your mouth, the way you smile…"

"Dinner's ready and everyone's waiting," Hanabi quickly intercepted, not really eager to hear what her sister's husband wished to impart.

Truthfully, Naruto could be tactless... too tactless sometimes. The young girl promptly decided that it would be better not to hear what her brother-in-law wanted to convey at that very moment. She then swiftly turned around and strode towards the main dining hall. The Hokage only shrug as he continued to mull over Hanabi's appearance as he trailed after her.

Hinata's younger sister probably had some semblance to her mother but it was her dissimilarity that stood out as Naruto studied her overall appearance. Hanabi had dark-brown hair, similar to her father's and when she smiled, she held an over-confident, smug look about her. That was probably the primary difference between mother and daughter. Then again, even though the young girl was full of self-assurance, there was something that was clearly lacking. Naruto found himself curiously chewing over the issue as they walked through the wooden-floored passages. But before he could come to any conclusion, Hanabi turned into the main dining room and as he followed her into the room, the Hokage found himself suddenly in the presence of not only Hyuga Hiashi, but also many more of Hinata's family members…

%%%

He wasn't brought up in a proper household and was never bothered with the Hyugas' expectation of what was supposed to be appropriate behavior before. The conduct required of good, honorable breeding never really sat well with him too and even though he was now the Hokage, he still found the Hyuga's ever-so-proper custom, a little exaggerating. Somehow, he had always acted on a kind of understanding and appreciation for the people around him. At the very least, he believed that he was mannerly most of the time.

Then again, when he had told Ko that he would like to join Hiashi for dinner that night, he never really expected to be sitting down with the other members of the Hyuga family, saved for Hinata's younger sister. One way or another, the presence of the few elders and some other considerable members of the family had elevated a simple dinner into what looked like a complicated, ceremonial affair. Quietly, he made a mental note to actually clarify to Ko or whoever significant next time, the kind of dinner he would like attend, especially when anybody from the Hyuga household was involved.

So, here he found himself, as the Hokage, sitting cross-legged, at one end of a long, extended, traditional, low dining table, feeling as uncomfortable as he could while Hyuga Hiashi sat poised as head of the Hyuga clan on the opposite end. Between them, there were twelve other members, all of them from the main household, including Hanabi and around them, Naruto found Ko and two other members from the branch family, serving dinner and waiting on the table. For a moment, it was like being in the middle of an important meeting and he wouldn't be surprised if he was actually asked to deliver some notable speeches very soon. Everything was set up in a most formal manner and everyone present was behaving ever so virtuously.

As he struggled through the very proper, very quiet dinner, Naruto started wondering what objective he could gain from such an assembly. He had wanted to get to know more about Hinata, more about her past. He had wanted to know how it was like growing up as a Hyuga. But with so many people between his father-in-law and him, it was impossible to even talk comfortably. So, he chose to enjoy the lavish spread and keep his mind occupied with other matters.

"Naruto…" Hiashi finally broke the silence halfway through dinner, giving light to what had clearly become a very uncomfortable dinner. "… The daimyo told me that he and his wife will be visiting a friend in Iwagakure next week. Has he approached you about the visit?"

Surprised at the sudden dialogue, Naruto looked up and quickly lowered his bowl, suddenly aware that all eyes were on him. "Um… yeah," he answered a little awkwardly.

"So?" Hiashi prodded.

"Uh… so?" the blonde-haired Hokage found himself at a loss of words and ideas as all the other people in the room lowered their bowls and chopsticks and subsequently stopped eating to observe him.

The Hyuga head then casually started picking on the fish in front of him before continuing, "Who will be escorting the daimyo?"

"Actually… uh, actually I…" Naruto stammered as he glanced around to see the other family members looking at him as if speculating his every move, every word. For once, he actually felt like a child - ignorant and vulnerable.

Then, he slowly realized that this was probably what Hinata had to go through all these years. Maybe, they didn't have big family dinners like this every day and maybe, his wife didn't have to sit at one end of the table like he was. Nevertheless, this was probably how she had felt whenever she had to attend any family 'gathering' because from what he understood, Hinata was supposed to be the heiress to the Hyuga clan but was stripped of her title many years back. A flash of annoyance passed through him when he felt for certain that those eyes that were looking at him at that very moment had very likely, been scrutinizing his wife's every action all through her life - those cold, pensive, white eyes that seemed to act like a judge in a courthouse… condescending and unforgiving.

"You have already dispensed someone to the task, I'm sure?" an elderly Hyuga on his left queried while all the other people around the table resumed their dinner.

At that point, Naruto wanted to retort, wanted to make everyone in the room know that it really wasn't their place to discuss what missions he passed and who were dispensed to them. But employing his better sense, he chose not to say a word and instead, nonchalantly continued to eat.

"The daimyo would want a jounin as escort," another elderly Hyuga said.

"Hatake Kakashi then?" a third person offered.

"They wouldn't want him. It seems Hatake's son can be a little offensive sometimes. Seemed like he never showed up on time for anything."

"Yuhi Kurenai would be a better candidate…"

By this time, the Hokage had sort of tuned out the conversation around him as he tried to ease his annoyance. However, when Hinata's name was mentioned, he found himself all ears as he looked up from his position.

"She needed those three years," the elderly Hyuga on his left carelessly remarked.

"Yes, yes, it will do her good," another agreed.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, but before he could argue on the subject, he heard someone from the side voice his opinion.

"Hinata-sama is already a very capable kunoichi," Ko defended in what sounded like a restrained voice.

"Ko…" Hiashi suddenly called out before flashing the man a stern look.

It seemed inappropriate for Hinata's previous guardian to say his thoughts on such occasion. Ko dropped his head in defeat and respect while Naruto found himself getting more and more irritated.

After that, Hanabi joined in the conversation, "I still don't understand why she has to leave."

"Hanabi…" Hiashi sighed.

"No, father. Everything was just fine and you did say that Hinata is fortunate enough to marry the Hokage and…"

"That doesn't mean that she is already a stronger person," the Hyuga head started to explain.

"Hinata has always been weak," the elderly Hyuga on Naruto's left offered. "She needed to get stronger especially since she is now the Hokage's wife."

At that, Naruto felt something in him snap as he gave a contemptuous laugh that drew the attention of all the people in the room. Putting down his bowl and chopsticks, he slowly wiped his mouth with a wet towel before carelessly tossing it onto the table. Then, he placed his hands on the edge of the wooden table and looked up calmly, effortlessly bringing out an imposing presence his title called for.

"She needed to get stronger because she's my wife?" Naruto asked, followed by a humorless smile as he shook his head slowly. "She's weak… and being away for three years will do her good?" he continued to shake his head. "Weak?"

The Hokage looked around, his commanding blue eyes taking in every person in the room. By then, all the Hyugas had stopped eating and were curiously waiting to hear what he wanted to say. Either that or they were too taken aback to utter a word because at that moment, Naruto seemed to be conveying a very potent, very furious aura from within.

"During the Chunin preliminaries, when she had fought against Neji, was any one of you there to watch the fight?" the blonde-haired Hokage asked in a worryingly calm tone, not realizing that having glimpsed Neji's photo earlier had actually helped him remember things that had taken place a long, long time since.

"Well, she nearly died…" someone offered but quickly chose to keep quiet when Naruto flashed him a deadly glare.

"Off course she nearly died… because she never did give up..." he countered, his hands now clenched to the sides of the table.

As he continued to look around dauntingly, thoughts and memories began to awaken within him – thoughts and memories that had lain dormant for years and what had started as a defense approach on his part soon became an opening of understanding and realization.

"When Konoha was attacked by the Akatsuki…" the Hokage continued, as he called to mind the things in the past that he had somehow taken for granted. "…she was the only one who came to help me when I was pinned down by Pain… Did any of you know that?"

"Hinata-sama had fought with great courage," Ko quietly offered. "I tried to stop her but she just wouldn't stay back."

The Hokage nodded at that, internally grateful to the Hyuga for always standing up for his wife. However, in addition to Ko's account, there was also something else he had come to remember – Hinata had adamantly jumped forward to help him even though she knew she couldn't defeat Pain. He knew that the Akatsuki was too powerful for her too and had begged her to leave yet she had persisted, actually willing to lay down her life for him. Apart from that, she had also candidly confessed her love for him at that time. It was probably the life and death situation they had been in that had made her own up her feelings. But even though that had happened a long time ago, he somehow realized that he had not actually acknowledged her declaration. Perhaps, he had taken advantage of her feelings somewhere down the line or perhaps, he had also held a kind of affection towards her ever since then?

As a sense of culpability and fondness sparked within him, other memories surfaced and slowly, Naruto found himself staring intently into his father-in-law's eyes from across the table. "There was something else that some of you might know but have forgotten or have thought it too trivial to consider…" His gaze slowly changed from displeasure to curiosity. "During the last war, Hinata had actually shielded me from the Ten Tails' attack when I was out of chakra. If not…" he inhaled deeply as he recalled the incident. "If not for Neji, she… she would have died …It would have been her… So was she considered weak because she lived?"

At those words, Hiashi gave a defeated sigh. He was at the very scene where Neji had sacrificed his life and although he had tried pushing the details of that day to the very back of his mind, now that he summoned up his thoughts, he did remember that Hinata had put herself before Naruto first… before Neji decided to be their shield.

Seconds passed before Naruto slowly stood up, the anger within him gone, now that he had stated all that he wanted to. Then, struggling between being a respectful member to the family and a prevailing Hokage, he chose to give a curt nod before relating, "This has been… a most… most interesting dinner. I'm really glad I came... really." Then, when all impression of hostility and anger dissipated into thin air, he pulled a warm, genuine smile before casually adding, "Maybe in time, I'll actually come to know all your names… but until then, thanks for having me and… goodnight everyone." Then, he turned and left.

He had to admit that it had been a most trying dinner, but Naruto couldn't help the eventual calmness and gratification that dawned upon him as he slowly walked out of the Hyuga residence. Involuntarily, his hands went straight to the two rings on his chest. The whole affair had not actually turned out the way he had envisioned it to but one way or another, he seemed to have attained what he had come for… _and more._

Gradually, two things came into shape in his mind. Firstly, even though he knew that there were people who had always thought that Hinata was weak, he had only ever just brushed them aside or flashed them with disapproving looks to tell them off. Yet, he had never really considered when and why he knew they were wrong… at least not until tonight. And when he finally decided to openly stand up for her, he was glad that it truly wasn't difficult to bring out her positive qualities and strength. For once, he could actually appreciate her genuine sacrifice and even confession.

Secondly, it had slowly become clear to him that his wife was essentially a very beautiful woman. Well, maybe he was aware of the beautiful part but ever since he had carefully studied the photo of her mother, he found himself, during the first half of the dinner, quietly contemplating the similarities between mother and daughter.

At first, he was only mulling over the differences and likeness between Hanabi and the late Hyuga matriarch. They both have different hair colors and their mouths curved in different ways. Nevertheless, the two did have the same straight nose. _As for the skin, it was smooth and flawless and the hair reached the small of her back and…_ by then, Naruto realized that he wasn't comparing Hanabi to her mother anymore. He was actually thinking and considering Hinata's appearance. Nevertheless, Hiashi had soon afterwards, interrupted his thoughts with some pointless questions.

%%%

Once he got home, Naruto immediately went straight to the left side of the living room and took down his wedding photo that was hung alongside a couple of photos of his parents and one of him, when he was sworn in as Hokage. Then, he went to sit on the sofa so that he could slowly examine the people in the photo particularly, the one who had become his wife. And it was true; Hinata did look a lot like her mother. They both have the same hair color and the same flowing, dark tresses and even though Hinata's hair was pulled back into a complicated bun in the picture, he knew that like her mother's it would reached the small of her back when she let it down. She also had a beautiful, straight nose and as he quietly ran a finger over her face in the photo, he could actually call to mind her fair, flawless complexion and soft, supple lips and suddenly, he found that he really missed her appealingly bashful smile. And then, he slowly recognized exactly what Hanabi lacked among mother and sisters – a little bit of humility. Maybe, it was just the way she was born, the way she looked. But with her over-confident, smug appearance, the younger sister did look like she was short of a little bit of modesty. Quietly, he was grateful that his wife was different.

As he continued to pore over the photo, the handsome Hokage slowly came to one realization – even though Hinata bore a lot of similarities to her mother, in some ways, she was actually better-looking than the late Hyuga matriarch. All of a sudden, Naruto could feel his chest overflowing with pride and his cheeks flushed with love and admiration for his wife as awareness slowly dawned on him. If he had earlier thought that Hinata's mother was beautiful, then, he had beyond doubt, married a most, most beautiful lady.

Afterward, he leaned back and placed the photo on his chest and closed his eyes. It had been five long months since his wife had left for Oiru. Throughout these five months, many things have taken place and he couldn't deny that there were times when he did think that he could actually get used to being alone again… just like he used to. He also did think that even if Hinata would eventually choose not to come home, he would be fine. But tonight, after sitting down for dinner with her family members and after slowly observing her in the photo, the Hokage found himself yearning for his wife. He craved to look into her lavender-tinged eyes; needed to run his hands through her flowing, dark hair and longed to touch her smooth, porcelain-like skin. But there were more – he really wanted to kiss her soft, supple lips and bury his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent while running his tongue down her neck and everywhere else. Admittedly, if there was one thing that he had never failed to appreciate, it was Hinata's perfect body and at that moment, he really craved to hold her in his arms.

"Hinata," Naruto whispered as he put the photo aside and placed his hand over the rings. After that, he opened his eyes and slowly looked around. Everything around the house was just the way it had been when Hinata had left… _nothing had changed._ Yet, he couldn't deny the empty feeling within him that had become more and more evident lately, tonight especially. Quietly standing up, the Hokage inhaled deeply as he thought of the course of action he had to take… that he should actually take. Then, as he slowly formed a plan in his mind, he could feel a crooked smile quietly appearing on his lips…

**A/N: Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed the previous chapter. To **_phone reviewer, Jimbo_** (I suppose Naruto's slowly starting to open his eyes now), **_Mylady_** (thank you for the explanation. I really appreciate that), **_JK, misha48_** (It's true, everytime I hear the song – Give Me A Reason on radio, I could immediately feel a certain connection it has to this story), **_Honestly_** and all other **_guests_**, thanks for the reviews!**

**Again, if you have enjoyed this, don't deny me a review (took me a long time to write this, actually). If you feel that I'm actually bashing Naruto, point it out to me. If you feel that you hate this story, I apologize beforehand (but frankly, I can't help it). Whatever it is, drop me a review and knock some sense into me. Sometimes, I really need that. Thanks!**

- softwinds -

_p/s : I hope to complete this story as soon as I can. After this, I promise to get back to my other stories 'Where Are The Stars' in particular. So, to fans of that story, please be patient with me. _


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